As the new executive director of the Great Falls Symphony, Hillary Rose has had a busy month.

“It’s just a crazy, amazing whirlwind of new information and new faces,” she said.

She said she has been impressed with how much support there is for the symphony in Great Falls.

Taking a look at Rose’s life, it’s easy to see the steps that led to her current position. She fondly recalls having dinner with her mother before every symphony concert and arriving early at the Mansfield Theater to get their favorite balcony seats.

Rose was heavily involved in music during high school, gaining first chair clarinet and also playing baritone saxophone for the Great Falls High School jazz band.

As principal clarinetist for the Great Falls Youth Orchestra, Rose was mentored by Gordon Johnson, who is still the youth orchestra’s artistic director and conductor today.

Upon graduation, Rose accepted a full-ride music scholarship to the University of Montana.

(Photo: COURTESY PHOTO)

“While I was there, I realized that I had a passion for the administrative side of the arts,” she said.

That passion wasn’t realized for several years, however. Rose lived in Missoula for six years before “the call of Great Falls” brought her back here, where she took a job as manager of Biolife Plasma Services.

“I had a lot of positive memories of Great Falls,” said Rose, who now lives here with her boyfriend and 5-year-old daughter, Tesla. “It felt right to come home.”

Finding the executive director job was a complete accident, according to Rose, who had planned to spend the rest of her career at Biolife. When the symphony replaced its clarinetist, she was curious who got the job. While she was looking, she saw the executive director opening and knew she had to apply.

“I no longer have to say ‘Funny story — my background’s in music, but I draw blood,” she joked.

Rose takes over from longtime director Carolyn Valacich, who has taken time to show her replacement the ropes.

“Carolyn will continue to be a wonderful resource to me if I need it,” Rose said.

As executive director, fundraising takes up much of Rose’s time. The symphony begins its fundraising kickoff in January, and it has made a goal to raise $75,000 this year to help sustain performances and community outreach.

Money comes in through corporate sponsorships, events such as the Black Tie Blue Jeans fundraiser and generous pledges from community members.

Rose is also excited to give back to the organization that nurtured her as a young musician. The Great Falls Symphony is one of the few symphonies in the country with a youth orchestra under the umbrella of its budget, and youth symphony members get the benefit of a seasoned conductor as well as one-on-one time with members of Chinook Winds and the Cascade Quartet.

“With the support of the community, we don’t turn away any kid who wants to play for financial reasons,” Rose said.

Rose’s goal is to make the Great Falls Symphony a household name by expanding education and outreach, appealing to families and getting more people to buy season packages.

The symphony’s core audience and means of financial support is aging, and Rose is looking to younger generations to step up and get involved in the organization.

“My vision for the symphony is to inspire a new era of young, eclectic and vibrant people from Great Falls as our audience base,” she said.